customer

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US /ˈkʌs.tə.mɚ/ 
UK /ˈkʌs.tə.mər/ 

Oxford Essential Dictionary

customer

 noun
a person who buys things from a shop

 

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

customer

customer S1 W1 /ˈkʌstəmə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Word Family: adjective: ↑customary, ↑custom, ↑customizable, ↑accustomed; noun: ↑custom, ↑customer, customs; verb: ↑accustom, ↑customize; adverb: ↑customarily]
[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: custom; from the custom of doing business in a particular place]
1. someone who buys goods or services from a shop, company etc:
We aim to offer good value and service to all our customers.
We’ve had several letters from satisfied customers.
customer service/care
Many of the banks offer a poor level of customer service.
He’s one of our regular customers.
best/biggest/largest customer (=the person or company who uses a shop or company the most)
2. awkward/tricky/tough etc customer someone who is difficult to deal with because they behave in a deliberately unhelpful way ⇨ cool customer at ↑cool1(3)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + customer
a regular customer My business quickly built up a base of regular customers.
a good customer (=who buys a lot from you, or uses your service a lot) Good products attract good customers.
a major/big/large customer (=who is important and buys a lot) America is a big customer for Japanese goods.
a loyal customer (=who has been a customer for a long time) Some of our loyal customers have been coming here since the store opened.
a satisfied customer (=who is pleased with your goods or service) Satisfied customers will retun again and again.
a potential/prospective customer (=who might become a customer in the future) It’s very important to establish contact with potential customers.
a business customer (=customers that are businesses) the bank’s major business customers
existing customers (=that you already have) We want to improve our service for both new and existing customers.
■ verbs
deal with a customer (=do business with or talk to a customer) He has a lot of experience in dealing with customers.
serve a customer Every day the shop serves around 800 customers.
attract customers (=get more customers) The Internet is a great way to attract new customers.
keep/retain customers Keeping prices low helps to retain customers.
lose a customer The company has lost some big customers in the last two years.
■ customer + NOUN
customer service/care (=serving and looking after customers) Our aim is always to raise the level of customer service.
customer relations Staff are given training in customer relations.
customer satisfaction (=how pleased customers are) The firm carried out a survey of customer satisfaction.
customer demand (=the amount of something customers want to buy or use) It’s important to respond quickly to changing customer demand.
customer complaints My job is to handle customer complaints and enquiries.
• • •
THESAURUS
customer someone who buys goods or services from a shop or company: Customers were waiting for the shop to open. | The bank is one of our biggest customers.
client someone who pays for a service from a professional person or company: He has a meeting with one of his clients. | The company buys and sells shares on behalf of their clients
shopper someone who goes to the shops looking for things to buy: The streets were full of Christmas shoppers.
guest someone who pays to stay in a hotel: Guests must leave their rooms by 10 am.
patron /ˈpeɪtrən/ formal a customer of a particular shop, restaurant or hotel – usually written on signs: The notice said ‘Parking for Patrons Only’.
patient someone who is getting medical treatment from a doctor, or in a hospital: He is a patient of Dr Williams.
consumer anyone who buys goods or uses services – used when considering these people as a group who have particular rights, needs, or behaviour: Consumers are demanding more environmentally-friendly products. | the rights of the consumer | The law is designed to protect consumers who buy goods on the Internet.
market the number of people who want to buy a product, or the type of people who want to buy it: The market for organic food is growing all the time. | a magazine aimed at the youth market
clientele /ˌkliːənˈtel $ ˌklaɪənˈtel, ˌkliː-/ formal the type of customers that a particular shop, restaurant etc gets: The hotel has a very upmarket clientele. | They have a wealthy international clientele.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

customer

cus·tom·er [customer customers]   [ˈkʌstəmə(r)]    [ˈkʌstəmər]  noun
1. a person or an organization that buys sth from a shop/store or business
one of the shop's best/biggest customers
They know me— I'm a regular customer.
the customer service department

The firm has excellent customer relations.

2. (old-fashioned, informal) used after an adjective to describe a particular type of person
an awkward customer
a cool customer (= sb who is always calm, even when in trouble)
an ugly customer (= sb who may become violent)  
Thesaurus:
customer noun C
He's one of our best customers.
clientshopperconsumerbuyerend-userregular|formal patronpurchaser|BrE, informal punter
have/deal with/get/lose a customer/client/buyer
attract customers/clients/shoppers/consumers/buyers/punters
customers/clients/shoppers/consumers/buyers/purchasers buy/spend sth 
Collocations:
Shopping
Shopping
go/go out/be out shopping
go to (especially BrE) the shops/(especially NAmE) a store/(especially NAmE) the mall
do (BrE) the shopping/(especially NAmE) the grocery shopping/a bit of window-shopping
(NAmE, informal) hit/hang out at the mall
try on clothes/shoes
indulge in some retail therapy
go on a spending spree
cut/cut back on/reduce your spending
be/get caught shoplifting
donate sth to/take sth to/find sth in (BrE) a charity shop/(NAmE) a thrift store
buy/sell/find sth at (BrE) a car boot sale/(BrE) a jumble sale/a garage sale/(NAmE) a yard sale
find/get/pick up a bargain
At the shop/store
load/push/wheel (BrE) a trolley/(NAmE) a cart
stand in/wait in (BrE) the checkout queue/(NAmE) the checkout line
(NAmE) stand in line/ (BrE) queue at the checkout
bag (especially NAmE) (your) groceries
pack (away) (especially BrE) your shopping
stack/stock/restock the shelves at a store (with sth)
be (found) on/appear on supermarket/shop/store shelves
be in/have in/be out of/run out of stock
deal with/help/serve customers
run a special promotion
be on special offer
Buying goods
make/complete a purchase
buy/purchase sth online/by mail order
make/place/take an order for sth
buy/order sth in bulk/in advance
accept/take credit cards
pay (in) cash/by (credit/debit) card/(BrE) with a gift voucher/(NAmE) with a gift certificate
enter your PIN number
ask for/get/obtain a receipt
return/exchange an item/a product
be entitled to/ask for/demand a refund
compare prices
offer (sb)/give (sb)/get/receive a 30% discount 
Example Bank:
If you have a complaint, contact the customer care unit.
It's a special offer to attract new customers.
Part of good customer relations is knowing how to deal with complaints.
The questionnaire is to test customer reaction to the new store design.
The terms of the guarantee will be set out in the customer agreement.
There are a large number of potential customers for the new product.
They are hoping that TV advertising will increase their customer base.
They are one of our biggest customers.
They carried out a customer satisfaction survey.
They organized an evening's entertainment for favoured customers.
This cheaper model was produced in response to customer demand.
We can't afford to lose any more customers.
We like to think that we have satisfied customers.
Draw up a customer profile and write a description of your typical customer.
He comes in twice a week and is one of our best customers.
I'd like to speak to someone in the customer service department, please.
Is there a set procedure for dealing with customer complaints?
Schools are among the biggest customers for this service.

They know me— I'm a regular customer.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

customer     / kʌs.tə.mə r /      / -mɚ /   noun   [ C ]   
  
    A2     a person who buys goods or a service:  
  a satisfied customer 
  Mrs Wilson is one of our  regular  customers. 

 
© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

customer

/kʌstəmə(r)/
(customers)

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.

1.
A customer is someone who buys goods or services, especially from a shop.
Our customers have very tight budgets.
...the quality of customer service...
N-COUNT

2.
You can use customer in expressions such as a cool customer or a tough customer to indicate what someone’s behaviour or character is like. (INFORMAL)
...two pretty awkward customers.
N-COUNT: adj N

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

customer

 

cus·tom·er /ˈkʌstəmɚ/ noun, pl -ers [count]
1 : someone who buys goods or services from a business
• She is one of our best/regular customers.
• Remember, the customer is always right. [=never argue with a customer]
- often used before another noun
• The company has good/poor customer service.
customer satisfaction
2 informal : a person who has a particular quality
• He is one tough/tricky customer. [=he is a tough/tricky person]
• She's a pretty cool customer.